If you have not
read my other FanFic, The Game, I highly suggest that you do, so
that youll understand some of the things that go on here.

1.

Edgar Roni Figaro was tossing and
turning all night. It had been a rough night, what with the
loudest storm of the century going on. Even worse, Sabin was
coming in every two or three minutes because he was afraid of the
rain. This didnt bother Edgar too much, seeing as how it
happened every time there was a storm. He looked at the small
clock next to his bed. 3:00 AM. This isnt the time that he
usually goes to sleep. He looked back at the clock to make sure
he had gotten the right time. 3:01. He was rather tired, and
wished he could sleep. The storm had died down a little in the
last twenty minutes or so, but now he had Sabins snoring to
keep him up. He decided to do what anybody would do when they
cant sleep. Go wake somebody up. As the king of Figaro,
Edgar had a theory. If he cant sleep, no one else should be
able to.

Edgar looked up and down the hall for a room
that looked inviting. He could remember Locke saying that he was
going to stay at Figaro for the night when the storm started. Not
only would he and Celes get wet, he had reasoned, but also the
Chocobos would be afraid of the thunder and lightning. Edgar had
no option but to let them stay until the storm died down.

Edgar decided that since it was his castle that
Locke was staying in, he would have control of whether or not he
would get to sleep. It was settled then. He would wake up Locke
and talk to him. The problem was, not waking up Celes.

Edgar sneaked into Locke and Celes
Quarters without a sound. Good. Locke was closer to the door. He
attempted to grab Locke by the collar and drag him out of the
room. No good. He wasnt wearing a shirt. He then decided
that a free wrist would work just as well. He grabbed for his
wrist, the one that was hanging off of the bed, and proceeded to
drag him out of the room. Celes awoke at Lockes shriek.

"Wha Locke? Whats going
on?" said Celes, still groggy and partially asleep. If she
had been awake enough to know what was going on, she probably
would have flogged Edgar.

"Nothing, Cel." Said Edgar. "Go
back to sleep."

The half-awake Celes followed the command and
went back to sleep blissfully. As Celes peacefully snored
silently, Edgar turned on the coffeepot in the West Tower Lounge
to give Locke something to toss his anger into.

Locke looked up at Edgar with the anger that
Edgar hoped would soon be going into a cup of coffee. "Why
the hell did you wake me up?" Locke asked, rubbing his eyes.
"I was sleeping in there!"

"I know." Replied Edgar.
"Thats why I woke you up. You were sleeping. I
wasnt. Besides, I couldnt really wake you up if you
werent sleeping. I need somebody to put me to sleep.
Between the thunder and cry-baby Sabin, Ive been up all
night."

At that moment, the storm decided to make its
biggest crash of thunder of the entire night. Moments later,
Sabin came down stairs.

"Umm hi." Said Sabin. "Did
the thunder wake you guys up too?"

"No, Edgar woke me up, the bloody
bastard." Said Locke, some of his anger dripping into the
coffee cup, just as Edgar had planned.

"I cant sleep." Said Edgar.
"I need something to do. The more people in here, the more
suggestions of how to put me to sleep. So send em here. A
suggestion."

"How about lying down?" suggested
Celes, coming into the room wearing her bathrobe. "Not only
will you have a higher chance of sleeping, but youll also
have a higher chance of not waking people up."

"Sorry, Celes." Said Edgar, hanging
his head in shame. "I was only trying to wake up Locke. I
didnt mean to disturb you."

"Oh, so its okay to wake me up,
huh?" asked Locke sarcastically, with less anger than
before. "Why dont you go back to bed, Cel.
Everythings all right in here."

"I cant." replied Celes.
"I seem to have trouble sleeping without you by my
side."

As Celes and Locke started looking at each
other passionately, Sabin and Edgar chanted in unison,
"Awwwwwwwww," which prompted Locke to give the two an
evil glare. Celes merely giggled.

"I suppose Im in on your little late
night meeting." Said Celes. "So, you need some thing to
make you sleep, right?"

"You got it." Replied Edgar.
"And I dont think that the coffee is going to
help."

The four sat and talked until 7:00 AM. They
then decided to give sleep another shot. The storm had cleared,
and the sun was up. It was a beautiful day. Even for sleep. Locke
and Celes had gone back to their room, and so had Sabin. Edgar
went back to his room and started to lie down when there was a
knock at the door. "Oh, bloody hell." Edgar moaned as
he got up to answer his door. It was one of the castle guards
bringing news of a visitor.

"Your majesty, King Cecil Harvey of Baron
to see you." Said the guard, bowing to his king. Ever since
the incident with Warlock a few months ago, the young inventor
girl, Lucca, had found a way to recreate the warps
and keep them stable. She had opened a passageway between the
dimensions of the people who had encountered Warlock, and found
coordinates to a few others. There was a wide inter-dimensional
network set up at key cities in each dimension. There was a
warp-hut, as they had been lovingly named by the
citizens who lived near them, in South Figaro, the Gold Saucer,
Baron, Tycoon, Saturn Valley, Truce, Igros, Coneria, Parcelyte,
Aliahan, Tantegel, Endor, Alekia, and Dallas, just to name a few.

"Ill be in the throne room in a
moment." Said Edgar, dismissing the guard. He groggily got
dressed in his royal garb, and proceeded to the throne room.

The throne room guards all rose to attention
when King Edgar approached the throne. The front four guards
raised their royal horns and played for the king. Edgar
didnt really appreciate it, because his lack of sleep was
developing quite a headache. Edgar sat down despite the bugle
players drilling iron rods through his head. He breathed a mental
sigh of relief when they finished and asked that his visitor
enter the room. A guard came into the room and shouted, "All
rise for King Cecil Harvey of Baron!"

Edgar rose, as was the custom when a foreign
leader came to visit. The trumpeteers then played the royal theme
of Baron as Cecil walked into the room. Edgar started envisioning
ways that he could impale the horn players on his collection of
Lances, leaving little left for the goblins to devour. The
playing stopped just as Edgar had started to think about his fine
collection of Tridents. Everyone who had a chair (Edgar) then sat
again. Cecil walked up to the throne and, in his most proper
voice, said "Your majesty."

"Cut the formalities, Cecil." Said
Edgar. "Were both kings here. We dont need all
of this highness mumbo-jumbo. We can actually be
ourselves."

"Okay, then." Said Cecil. "If we
dont have to be formal with each other, let me first say
this. You look like hell."

There was a small burst of laughter from one
region of the nights, but after a vicious glare from the chief
guard, who was almost always at Edgar or Sabins side, they
all quieted down immediately.

"Its okay." Replied Edgar.
"I feel like hell. I havent slept a wink since
yesterday at about this time. Between last nights storm and
Sabin, I barely touched the pillow."

"Neither have I." Said Cecil. "I
havent slept in days. But wait until you hear why.
Youre gonna love this "

2.

Edgar had gathered everyone at the
Returners hideout, the place where they always gathered when
there was an important announcement that everybody needed to know
about. After an election between everybody, Edgar was voted as a
sort of Leader of the group. They needed someone to call order to
these meetings, and he got the most votes. This really made Mog
mad, because he thought it was race discrimination, but Terra
persuaded him against filing charges. All of the people who had
been acquainted after the first inter-dimensional incident fit
well into the newly redecorated Returners cave. There was enough
room for all to sit; though Vincent, Umaro, Cyan, and Barret
usually preferred to stand. As opposed to the original design of
the Returners cave, it was now well lit, with enough light for
all to see, and to make Vincent uncomfortable. The large table
where everyone sat at was crafted of powerful metal, with cheap
imitation wood stickers to give it that rustic feel.
The alternate paths that previously led to Banons quarters,
a store and inn, and guest quarters were now turned into the main
room. The entrance was no longer just another cave, but a grand
doorway, such as the one to the coliseum. The only reason that
they remained in a cave was for sentimental purposes. Edgar sat
at the front of the table with Cloud and Cecil, who had tied for
second place in the vote, at his immediate left and right.

"I brought you all here today because of a
shocking announcement that Cecil had brought to me this
morning." Said Edgar, trying to create some order. "I
believe Cecil will be able to explain it much better than I
could." He then gestured for Cecil to rise and address the
group. "Cecil."

Merely a few years ago, when he was nothing
more than a dark night, Cecil would have been terrified to speak
in front of this many people. After experience as both an
adventurer and a king, Cecil was accustomed to speaking in front
of large crowds.

"Everybody," Cecil started.
"There has been a major catastrophe due to the inter-linking
of the dimensions. It appears that the four Elementals, Milon,
Kainazzo, Valvalis, and Rubicant have reappeared and have fled to
another dimension. We are not sure which dimension they have gone
to, but Im sure that, with your help, we can find them.
Rosa will now be handing out packets to everyone that shows what
they look like, and what they can do. I dont want anyone to
sleep until they are found." Nobody heard the groan from
Edgar as Cecil continued. "The last time we fought them,
they were sticking together, thinking that they could overcome
more as a single force. We do not know whether or not they will
follow the same game plan now. However, they are forces to be
reckoned with, individually, or as a group. I want everyone to
keep an eye out, and watch your backs."

After their dismissal, the group usually stayed
and took the opportunity to reacquaint themselves with each other
socially. Many of the girls would get into a single group, most
with their husbands following at arm length. The unmarried men
would usually roam slowly in small circles, occasionally striking
short conversations with one another. King Gilbert would
sometimes entertain the group with his fine musician ship. Reeve
would sometimes make his Cait Sith doll perform tricks. They
generally had a good time. The socialization period of the
meeting had barely begun when a knight of Figaro
rushed through the door.

"King Edgar!" the knight screamed.
"Theres an emergency! South Figaro has been
torched!"

All of the casual conversations ended as
everyone rushed to grab their respective weapons. They seemed to
travel in clumps similar to the ones that they converse in. Most
of the girls, with their husbands, in one group, and most of the
guys, with a few girls, in the other. The party left the
Returners cave and hopped on their Chocobos. They headed through
the newly created Kolts-Sabil pass, which connected the Returners
cavern and South Figaro without any mountains in between. As they
neared the pass few could imagine how they couldnt have
smelled the smoke before. The terrain was starting to get heavy
with smoke even back at the mountain range. Few people could see,
and the Chocobos heads started getting closer to the ground. The
guard took the Chocobos back to the Returners cave, where there
was less smoke, when their riders disbanded.

Many buildings in South Figaro were still on
fire when the group attempted to enter the city. Children were
screaming in the streets, horrified of the fiery onslaught. Grown
people were running in circles, as if their speed could simmer
the blazing flames. The groups looked for the cause of this mass
hysteria, and werent too surprised when they found it. In
front of his three teammates stood Rubicant, master of fire.
Behind him was the wind goddess, Valvalis, and on her right was
Milon, the Earth Demon, and her left, Kainazzo, the Water Fiend.

"You dont stand a chance against us,
now!" Screeched Rubicant, over the howl of the flames of his
own creation. "Those years of confinement did nothing but
strengthen us, you fools! Now, you will feel the wrath of the
elements! Beware where ever you go, for we will find you
all!" And with that, Valvalis disappeared into the air,
Milon turned into a sort of mud-slide and melted into the ground,
Kainazzo reverted to a water form, and evaporated swiftly, and
Rubicants skin melted off as he turned into pure flames and
disappeared. When he left, he took his other flames with him.

3.

King Edge of Eblan paced back and
forth worriedly. He knew he should be out searching for the
Elementals, but he was royalty. He had people to do that for him.
Besides, the Chancellor had strictly forbidden anything that
could put the King in danger. So he paced. He worried about the
safety of the kingdom, he worried about the safety of the world,
and, most importantly, he worried about Rydia. Rydia had never
really taken a liking to the King of Eblan, at least, like the
one he had for her. As far as he knew, she already had a
boyfriend down there, in the Land of Summoned Monsters. She had
better things on her mind anyway, what with the big controversy
about the materia, and then the fact that they were mistaken for
Espers. Its just been a big problem after another down
there. She had no time to think about a lonely ninja king. But he
thought about her none the less. She was on his every thought.
Earlier today at the meeting, he had drowned out most of what
Cecil had said just to look at her. Cecil said something about it
later, too. He had noticed. Everybody had noticed the ninja
staring at Rydia. Except Rydia. Sometimes he thought she was
avoiding him, as if she didnt like him. But that
couldnt be true. She just didnt notice. What
could he do to get her to notice him? Thats it! He would go
visit her! What with all of the mess in the land of summoned
monsters, and the escaping of the elements, a small girl like
Rydia must need someone to protect her! Then it was settled. Edge
would go to the Underground, and see Rydia.

"Chancellor." Edge said.
"Im going to the cave of summoned monsters. Ill
be back in a day of so. Dont worry about me. Ill be
fine."

"The cave of summoned monsters?"
asked the Chancellor. "Why would you go there? Its
awfully dark and ugly down there, and youre not a
summoner Is it that girl again?"

"Umm of course not. I
umm " Edge rubbed his head, as if the answer he was
searching for would immediately appear in Braille. He
couldnt read Braille anyway. Apparently it did appear,
because he found his answer. "I think that the Elementals
are down there! Yes, thats why I must go now. I must take
care of them."

"But, your majesty! Its dangerous
down there, even without the Elementals! You cant hunt them
alone! You must take assistance! Ill send for some
ninjas."

"NO!" Edge shouted, as he felt his
face turn red. "Umm I, uh " He thought of a
reason why he should go alone. "Im not going to fight
them, Im just going to see if theyre there! If they
are there, they would definitely notice a small group, but not
one trained ninja. Its settled. Ill go alone."

After passing through the Spanish Inquisition,
which nobody expected, Edge finally made it out of the castle. He
immediately hopped into the airship provided for Eblan by Cid.
The airship started without a problem, and Edge headed for the
underworld.

Edge quickly remembered his way around the
underworld, having been there many times before. The path through
the cavern of the Summoned Monsters also went fast. The evil
monsters in the cave werent tough for a ninja of his
expertice. He found himself thinking that he was going to have no
problem getting to Rydia. Until he entered the city. In front of
the library was a line extending almost past the edge of the
city. Edge had nothing better to do, so he stood in line.

"So, you were mistaken for an Esper,
too?" said a goblin that had just gotten in line behind
Edge.

"Yeah," started the goblin, who bared
a remarkable resemblance to Groucho Marx. "Its been
one thing after another down here lately. Yesterday, a small girl
asked if she could have my materia. Materia! Im no materia
summon! Im a full bred monster summon! And the Esper Board
has been mistaking us all for one of theirs. Its been
hideous down here. Leviathan says he can clean it up, but
Im not so sure."

"Umm Yeah." Replied the ninja,
trying to calculate how long it would take him to get to the
front of the line.

"NEXT!" shouted a familiar voice.
Edge looked forward just in time to see Rydia move back into the
Library.

"Excuse me " Edge mumbled as he
started moving toward the front of the line. He was nearing the
door. He knew she would talk to him. She had to. Just then a
lumbering giant of a monster stepped in front of Edge.

"Im sorry," said the monster
Edge recognized as Titan, "but we dont cut in line
around here! I think you need to move to the end, whelp!"
Just before conflict started, the door opened again.

"NEX-- Edge? What are you doing down
here?" asked a startled Rydia, while monsters got mad at the
sudden hold up. "Titan, let him pass. Hes my
friend."

"Oh, Im sorry, mister." Said
Titan, more sincerely this time. He began to dust off Edges
clothes, that he hadnt even touched yet. "Rydia, I
didnt know he was your friend. Im really sorry."

"Its okay, Titan. No harm
done." Said Rydia, pulling Edge forward by the scruff of his
neck after letting the next three monsters into the library to
see Leviathan. "Im sorry, Edge. Its just so
hectic around here lately. Ever since the interdimensional
passageways were open to monsters, there have been all kinds of
confusion. What was it that you came down here for, Edge?"

Edge started to say, I came here to be
with you, but quickly corrected himself. "My
chancellor has brought me word of the problems down here. I came
to make sure that the Elementals wouldnt take advantage of
the situation."

"Thats so sweet, Edge. Come with me.
Ill get you some food, and set you up a room at my house to
stay at tonight." Rydia said, as Edge threw a little party
in his mind. Edge followed Rydia back to her house. It was a
small place next door to the weapons shop. The inside was much
like Rydia herself. Small, yet powerful. And Green. Most
everything was decorated in green. It would normally disturb
Edge, but somehow it all seemed to fit.

"Let me make you some tea." Rydia
said, and Edge sat down and started to relax.

4.

"Let me make you some
tea." Lufia said, and Sabin sat down and started to relax.
This was the first time Sabin had ever been to Alekia, although
Maxim had offered the free stay to him many times before. The
only reason he had come this time was that the D-Warp was showing
an abnormality coming from this dimension. That meant that
someone was warping too much. Sabin had heard rumors of
Lufias special talent for cooking. He had also heard rumors
that she used to be known as Erim, the Sinistral. He liked the
first one better. Maxim had begun living with Lufia after he
found her a year after the crash of Doom Island. For months she
didnt remember a thing, until Aguro and Jerin came to
visit. Then, everything just came pouring back into her. She was
completely neurotic for months until everybody forgave her for
being Erim. Then she slowly turned back into herself. A year or
so after, her and Maxim were married. About a year after that,
they were startled by a young girl named Lucca magically
appearing in their front yard. After a short explanation, they
helped create the D-Warp outlet in Parcelyte. Since then, they
had explained the whole story of their dimension to the
Returners, and had even joined.

"Sabin, you know you can put down your
weapons here." Said Maxim. "We are
friends." Sabin looked at his hands and noticed a brass
knuckle in each palm.

"Oh, yeah. I forgot I had em."
Sabin said, and pushed them into his pockets. He was still a
little groggy from Edgar keeping him up all night. Lufia took the
moment to bring them their tea and cinnamon pie.

"Ill be outside if you need me,
Max," said Lufia, heading out the door.

"Okay!" returned Maxim.

"You know Maxim, youve got it pretty
sweet." Said Sabin. "A nice house, a lovely wife, a
dog Its all the stuff I wanna get. Say Is your
wife a goer? Does she like sport? I bet she does, I bet she
does."

"Crap." Said Sabin. "Well, there
goes all of my casual jokes." They stared at the ground for
a while, and fiddled thumbs. They didnt know what to do.
They were both fighters, now thrust into a casual/social
situation. The silence was deafening. Then came the scream.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!" screamed
Lufia, from the garden. Both of the guys immediately jumped up
and ran to the door. They saw Lufia leaning over in the garden,
behind her stood Milon, the elemental.

"Milon!" shouted Sabin.

"No! My priphea! Theyre all
dead!" said Lufia, almost crying. Had she looked up at all,
she would have seen that the world had gotten much darker,
standing in Milons shadow.

"HAHAHA!" laughed Milon. It was a
dirty laugh, literally. It sounded like he was talking through a
gallon of sand. In essence, he was. "You will all pay at the
hands of the Elementals! HAHAHA!"

"Im Milon! The Elemental of the
Earth, and rotter of the soil!" screamed Milon, still
cackling wildly.

"Did Did you destroy this
soil?" Lufia asked starting to regain sanity.

"Well of course. I destroy all soil.
I cant help it. I couldnt really make an exception,
could I? Then I wouldnt be the Earth Fiend."

"YOU KILLED MY PRIPHEA!" screamed
Lufia in utter Rage. From her fingertips flowed the flames of
hell, all aimed at Milons face. He noticed a moment too
late. After about half of his body had burned off, he turned into
dirt and melted away.

"I want her on my team!" shouted
Sabin. With the danger thwarted (except for the danger of a woman
scorn), the trio returned to the house for some cinnamon tea.

5.

Kain Highwind quickly got in to
the old Ford that he had borrowed from the company. He had been
in a hurry to get out of the office ever since his pager started
to vibrate in the middle of a meeting. The woman sitting next to
him, Kaeli he thought her name was, asked who was calling him.
She then noticed the golden emblem of the Kingdom Baron on the
pager. Never having heard of Baron, she asked him what the symbol
was. He waived her off; saying it was a present from an old
friend. He knew that whenever the pager went off that there was
trouble. Of course, he couldnt exactly leave the office in
the middle of the day. What would he say? Oh, Ive got
to go off and help save the universe. Not only would they
laugh him out of the office, but hed also never finish his
assignment to learn about the dimension. This dimension was
relatively unheard of. It had no heroes, no villains (except for
some Saddam Hussein guy that everyone seemed to hate) and no
transportation, except for cars. Everyone seemed to have a car.

The first thing Kain learned about the
dimension was that money was power. Following this motto, he had
learned that the most powerful man in this universe was a man
named Gates. He had thought that maybe he was called this because
he found time gates or dimension gates or something. No,
actually, he made windows. Kain learned that you couldnt
just kill for money, you had to work for it. So he got a job. It
was the only job he could get in downtown LA where he decided to
make residence. Kain was approaching the street with his
apartment complex.

Kain rushed home and turned on the Vis-A-Phone
that Lucca had made for him while he was on this strange Earth.
In came a holographic image of Cecil.

"We missed you at the conference this
morning, Kain." Cecil said, as he looked over some papers
and notes.

"I was caught up in a meeting. I
couldnt have just left. You understand." Kain said,
getting out of that strange business suit and into something more
comfortable, like his armor.

"Ah, yes. Your job. Where is it that you
work? Cubeware?"

"Square Soft. It's some no-name company.
Thats why Im working there. No one will ever find me
there. Its sad, actually. Not only do these people not know
of other dimensions, but they dont know of creatures in
outer space! Or the underground! Theres probably some
dwarven population thats all but died from
loneliness."

"Sad. Well, Kain, do you know what
happened this morning?"

"What?"

"Rubicant and his friends appeared. They
torched South Figaro."

"What?!?" Kain said, jumping up from
his seat. "Ill be right there!" Kain barely hit
the power button on the Vis-A-Phone before he ran from his
apartment. He didnt stop to think that he was running
through Los Angeles in the dark blue armor that he preferred to
wear. He still didnt notice when four or five people stared
at him from the building. He raced out into the street (without
his car) and ran toward the airport. As he ran down the street,
he bumped into a small girl managing a gift cart. He didnt
think much of it, either. He noticed she was oriental, but that
was about it. Until she spoke.

"Dragoon of Baron!" she cried as he
ran past. He slowly turned, half focused onto nothing.

"Wha What? You know what this
uniform means?" He suddenly realized that he was wearing his
armor. "How do you know of Baron?"

"You must come inside. You cant go
around Los Angeles wearing that. Come quickly before the police
arrive." She closed her stand and beckoned him into the
small building behind her.

"Too late." Came a voice from behind
Kain. Kain had come to recognize that voice rather well over the
last few months. The thick New-Yorkers voice of Officer Brady had
come to be a regular thing in his life. "Highwind, you just
keep coming up with new ways to embarrass me and the squad,
dont you? What the hell are you wearing, anyway?"

"Its none of your business, Brady.
Just turn around and leave me alone and we will all be better
off. Im leaving now, anyway. I wont be your problem
anymore."

"No, Highwind. Im afraid I
cant allow that. Youre gonna have to come into the
station."

"I cant allow that!" shouted
the girl from behind Kain. "BLITZ!" she screamed, and a
lightening bolt struck Officer Brady straight in the forehead. He
was out cold.

"Wha Howd you do that?"
started Kain, walking into the house.

"Ill explain on the way to
Where are we going?" The girl turned around with an
inquisitive look on her face.

"Dallas. Theres a portal there. The
fastest way would be the airport."

"But you cant go to the airport
dressed like that. Youd be arrested. Come." She said,
beckoning him once again into her house. "Ill explain
everything."

Kain looked around her living room. The objects
didnt look familiar to him at all. He observed a picture of
what he assumed to be her family as she was rummaging through her
trunk, trying to find something he could wear.

"Thats my family. Theyre
Laotian." She said, noticing his staring at the picture.

"Laotian? What does that mean?" He
hadnt been in the dimension for long. He didnt know
all of the countries names. There were too many of them, anyway.
It seemed someone controlled every speck of land. No empty
forests between cities.

"It means they are from Laos. Its a
country in Asia." She replied, still looking through her
trunk.

"Are you from Laos, too?" asked Kain,
putting down the picture.

"No, I was adopted. I tried to tell them
my story while I was still young, but they didnt believe
me. Lately, I havent been believing myself. But your
appearance proves my story. I was right!" she said, looking
up with a sort of glimmer in her eye.

"What story?" asked Kain.

"Well, when I was young, I was the
daughter of Lord Eblan."

"Eblan? Youre from Eblan!"

"Yes. When Rubicant attacked our city, the
mad scientist that worked for Rubicant abducted my parents. Edge,
my brother, ran off in a furious rage. Rubicant looked at me and
said, I wont forget these words for my entire life,
Young girl, Im sorry, but I must take care of you
too. I then saw a glowing blue light and I woke up in a
forest outside of San Francisco. Thats where my parents
live." She wiped a single tear off of her face and looked
up. "I must sound rather silly, mustnt I?" she
made a short laugh that was blocked by a longer cry.

"No, you dont sound silly at all.
Ive been to Eblan. In fact, Im rather good friends
with Edge."

She looked up and a sense of hope sprang to her
face. "Really? Is he alive?"

"Yes, hes alive. Hes rather
annoying at times, but hes still around."

"And my parents?"

"Im Im sorry." Kain
looked down, trying to avoid eye contact.

She suppressed a sob and looked down herself.
"Its not your fault. I mean, I thought they were dead
this entire time, anyway. I never really should have gotten my
hopes up." The room fell into a deadly silence for many long
moments. Kain continued to notice new rust spots in his armor. He
didnt take care of it as well as he used to.

"We really must be going." Said Kain,
breaking the silence.

"Oh, yes. Lets go." She said,
seemingly forgetting all of her pain.

"Wait I dont even know your
name."

"Oh. I am Tai-Chin, princess of
Eblan."

"A pleasure to meet you." Said Kain.

"Here," she started. "Ive
found something you can wear. Hurry, and change." Tai-Chin
held up an old sports coat. "Its my brothers. He
always leaves clothes over here every time he visits."

"Thank you." Kain said, as he made
his way to the bathroom. In less than two minutes he came out
dressed in a brown and orange business suit, holding his armor
over his left arm.

"Lets go." Said Tai-Chin, and
she led him to her garage. The garage had many collectibles
similar to the ones in the house. In the center sat a 1952 Buick.
Tai-Chin got into the drivers seat and leaned over to
unlock Kains door. He got in, and Tai-Chin used her remote
to open the garage door. The car sped out of the garage and into
the street. Within moments, they arrived at Los Angeles
International Airport, after a silent car trip. There were few
seats available for the immediate trip to DFW, but found two that
were right next to each other. They told each other a little more
about themselves on the way to Dallas. Tai-Chin had started her
own business selling assorted knickknacks on the streets of Los
Angeles. She had no family, except for her stepfather and
stepbrother in San Francisco. And Edge. She had gotten the house
out of the money that her rich old grandmother had left her in
her will. She had gotten to know many people from her community,
and was known as a kind soul. Kain told her of his assignment to
study the people of this dimension, to see if it was possible to
pledge some of them into the Returners. They conversed until the
plane neared Fort Worth, and then watched, as the plane
approached the ground. Upon arrival in Dallas, the rented a car,
that they probably wouldnt return, and took off on State
Highway 114, toward Reunion Tower, where Kain had informed her
that the portal was located.

They parked the car in the garage under Reunion
Tower. The elevator was out of order, so they walked down to the
bottom basement level. Kain walked to the handicap spot in the
far-left corner where he knew the gate was located. He grabbed
his armor out of their bag and produced a key out of one of the
pockets. He held the key up to the air, and a bolt of lightening
struck the ground. A small blue pit appeared in the middle of the
air. Tai-Chin looked nervous, so Kain grabbed her hand and led
her into the portal. The journey was quick, as it always was, and
they arrived promptly in Truce Village, as they always did. The
D-Warp HQ, as it was referred to, was located next to
Luccas house, so that shed always be handy in case it
needed to be fixed. Kain set the machine so that it would warp
them to Baron, and turned it on. He leaped in, shortly followed
by Tai-Chin. They arrived moments later in Baron.

6.

Reeve walked down the roads of
Saturn Valley casually, close behind was the Cait Sith doll,
mimicking his every action. He looked around himself. This would
have to be the strangest place he had ever seen. At least the Mr.
Saturns were friendly. The D-Warp machine had indicated that
there was some kind of unbalance in the force, and
Reeve was sent out to investigate. Alone. He was constantly
reminding himself, at least the Mr. Saturns are
friendly. He noticed a strange jumping figure passing the
Saturn Valley Hot Springs. It barely caught his attention, but it
was worth checking out. He walked up the confusing maze that was
Saturn Valley and toward the pink water of the Hot Springs. A Mr.
Saturn next to the water said, Happy jumping man wear
bright colors. He jump all the way into the cave. B@iNg!
Reeve carefully entered the cave, expecting anything. He moved
slowly, the Cait Sith doll right behind him. He heard a sinister
horselaugh that he could only associate with Heidegger, but the
shadow of the figure making the hideous noise proved otherwise.
Several shorter giggles came from the man, before he jumped out
in front of Reeve.

"Boo!" he shouted, and immediately
started to emit the horselaugh once again. The man was dressed in
bright red, green, and yellow. The horrible sound of his voice
was something to give you nightmares for years. "Dont
you know who I am?" he asked. "Of course you
dont. If you did, youd be wetting your pants right
now!" This resulted in another array of the laugh.
"Im Kefka!" shouted the man, and he disappeared
in a puff of smoke. Reeve jumped quite a bit at both the sudden
disappearance, and the name. His jumping caused the Cait Sith
doll to jump, which made the small cat hit its head on the
ceiling. The sudden attack on the cat caused an auto counter
system to activate and the giant moogles arms came down on
anything that happened to be in front of it. The only thing in
front of it was Reeve, who was knocked out cold.

Roughly two-and-a-half-hours later, Reeve woke
up at Saturn Valley Hospital. Dr. Saturn ran a rather smooth
operation. In fact, he had already notified some of Reeves
friends about the injury. Tifa and Vincent stood over him in his
bed.

"There! You allllllllllllllllll fixed
up!" said Dr. Saturn from above Reeves bed. Reeve
noticed the Cait Sith doll in the corner. It had apparently been
deactivated.

"Well, good morning, sunshine." Said
Tifa, in a monotone voice, noticing Reeves sudden state of
awakeness.

"My," said Reeve, "you look
rather chipper today."

"Look, Reeve." Said Tifa, not looking
chipper at all. "We have better things to do than wait for
you to wake up. If you dont remember, we are searching for
the Elementals. If youre quite done "

"Wait." Interrupted Reeve. "I
found out something rather important. We have to tell
everybody."

"What?" asked Vincent.

"Kefka is loose."

7.

The meeting seemed to take forever
to come to order. People were in a panic over the new found news.
With the Elementals and Kefka loose, there might not be enough
people to contain them. The Elementals power had quadrupled since
the first time Cecil had encountered them, and Kefka had
magically returned from the grave with unforeseen power. After
many moments of chaos, Edgar managed to calm things down.

"People," Edgar started, "we
have to remain calm. There are many possible choices to the
scenario. However, I want your opinion before I make one. Any
suggestions?"

"I suggest that we stay here."
Commented Cecil. "Were the ones they want. At least,
were the ones the Elementals want. Theyll come after
us. And, due to his record, Id imagine that Kefka would
eventually come after us just out of boredom."

"What I want to know," started Sabin,
"is why all of these dead monsters picked now to
reincarnate. Theyve been dead for years, whats so
special about now?"

"They wanted to welcome me back."

All heads turned toward the voice at the door.
Standing in the light was a tall man in thick blue armor. On his
belt hung a spear, and at his side was a twenty-something
oriental girl. Cecil smiled slightly at the sight of his oldest
friend. "Kain, how great of you to join us! Please,
introduce us to your friend."

Edge dropped his jaw below his ankles. A tear
ran down his cheek as a smile appeared on his face. The room fell
into a hush, and many, those who knew who edge was, looked at him
for his reaction. He stood, dropping his chair to the ground, and
ran to his sister. They held each other for many long moments,
each crying tears of joy on to the others shoulder. When
Edge finally felt safe enough to let go of his long lost sister,
he looked up at Kain. This face had meant many things to him. At
first it was of a strong, but valiant knight. Later, he saw it as
a sign of mistrust. Now, all he could see was the man who brought
back his sister.

"Brother Edge, it is good to see
you." Said Tai-Chin. "Kain has told me much about this
world, and your kingdom. He told me of all that has happened
since the incident so many years ago."

"But But I thought you were dead!
What happened?" Edge looked at his sister in disbelief. At
first, he had not remembered that she had died, because of the
sheer joy of seeing her. Now he thought of why Kain would create
such an illusion to hurt him, and could come up with no answers.
Besides, other than the chancellor of Eblan, no one knew of his
sister except for him. She quickly told him, and everyone else,
her story.

" And now, I want to help you.
Im not sure whats going on, but together, we can stop
anything." She looked genuinely at Edge, for acceptance.
When they were young, Edge had never let her accompany him on his
expeditions, because she was a girl. Now, she had built her
skill, and gone to American martial arts classes to build her
muscular strength. When she saw the smile on Edges face,
she knew everything would be all right.

"King Edgar!" screamed a guard
rushing into the room. "The radar has picked up Kefka and
the Elementals, and theyre in the same place! Theyre
destroying everything!"

"What!" Screamed Cecil and Edgar,
almost in unison.

"Where are they? How are the defenses
there?" asked Edgar, immediately thinking of battle
strategies.

"Theyve hit the dimension Sir Kain
has been studying, and we are unaware of the defenses of the
government."

"Governments." Kain corrected.
"Do you know where theyre attacking?"

"Yes." Replied the guard. "A
city along the western shore of the northwestern continent."

"I need to see a map!" Ordered Kain.
Another guard immediately appeared with a map of the exact strike
zone. "I think thats Los Angeles!"

8.

The team arrived in Los Angeles a
mere two hours later, not an easy feat with over 20 people. The
way they finally got through was by Luccas imagination. She
had discovered how to put D-Warps in specific places, directing
them to the target of the problem. It had used a lot of energy,
and the Portable D-Warper was pretty much useless with out the
power needed to run. If they wanted to get home, theyd have
to go back to Texas. The city seemed quiet. Odd, Kain thought,
until he realized that everyone was staring at them. Its
not everyday you see 20+ people magically appear out of thin air.
Tai-Chin noticed nothing out of the ordinary. She couldnt
spot it though. It looked fairly normal. Buildings, people,
everything seemed to belong in New York. Theres a problem.
They were in Los Angeles, not New York. As the Statue of Liberty
stared down at them she looked up to the top and saw a laughing
man in a green and red suit, accompanied by a laughing, pudgy
child, in a business suit.

"There!" Tai-Chin shouted. "Up
there! On top of the statue!"

"Ill go check it out!" screamed
Kain, and started to jump.

"No!" interrupted Cecil.
"Youre not going up there alone. Its too
dangerous. You dont know who all is up there."

"But Cecil," argued Kain,
"Im the only one who can! Theres no other
skilled Dragoon here who could take that upper ground!"

"Im a dragoon!" Cid said.
Its a good thing Cid, Cid, and Cid hadnt come, or
there would have been a big mix up.

"Are all of you Highwinds Dragoons?"
asked Rydia.

"Im a dragoon, too! Kupo!"
inserted Mog. "Not only that, but I can fly!"

"Ive been a dragoon before,
too." Said Butz. "I know how to jump."

"All right, then." Said Edgar.
"You four go up to the torch, and start your way through
that tower. Only attack if you have a tactical advantage. Good
luck."

"Thanks." Said Kain, and led his
troop upward.

"Now, we need to split up." Said
Edgar. "Make the best of our situation. I want a few people
infiltrating the tower, a few on foot patrolling the town, and a
few here, keeping up base. Ill lead the ground troop.
Whos with me?"

"Ill lead the offense." Said
Cecil. "Were gonna need a good army to go through
their new base, here. Ill lead. Rosa, I want you to stay
here, standing guard. Youre the best White Wizard we have,
and I dont want to lose you. When someones hurt, and
returns here, theyll need assistance. Youre it."

"Right." Replied Rosa.

Edgar split up the group fairly evenly. Running
the town would be Edgar, Cloud, Sabin, Locke, Celes, Lufia, and
Cait Sith. Standing the fort would be Rosa, Tifa, Relm, Gilbert,
Terra, and Reeve, operating the Cait Sith robot from a distance.
Infiltrating the tower would be Cecil, Edge, Tai-Chin, Cyan,
Rydia, Maxim, and Vincent. They were all ready to separate when a
loud panting came up behind them. An old, bald, oriental man
wearing a robe ran up to them.

"Godzilla, Godzilla!" the man
screamed.

"Whats a Go Zhilla?" Rydia
asked.

Tai-Chin knew what was going on and immediately
took command of the situation. "Whats wrong with
Godzilla, what happened?"

"She took him! The tornado woman took
Godzilla!"

"Whats Godzilla?" Cecil asked,
his voice demanding an answer.

"Godzillas my pet iguana. What they
would want with a lizard is beyond me, though "

"Dont worry about it, well get
him back." Assured Edgar. "Who is this old man?"

"Oh, hes just my housekeeper.
Hes known me since I was a little girl. Dont worry,
Ive told him everything, and he believes me."

"Umm Yeah." Edgar said, and the
groups split, and a new adventure began

9.

Sabin walked behind Edgar through
the streets of New York, which had appeared moments before they
arrived in the middle of Los Angeles. Behind him were Cloud,
Locke, Celes, Cait Sith, and Lufia. Sabin was rather pleased that
Lufia was there, after seeing her performance with Milon. They
looked about carefully, for the city was rather darker than
usual. Or maybe big cities like this were always dark. They
didnt know. They noticed that they had forgotten to bring
someone who knew this dimension. That problem was quickly evaded
when they met the likes of a local law enforcement agent who was
willing to help them.

"Anything thatll help us end this
whole situation." The Officer said. "By the way. I
happened to notice a problem over by Central Park. Hey, uh
I didnt catch your name."

"Sabin."

"Yeah, uh, Sabin, Im Edward Brady.
You know, I was born in New York, so I know these streets like
the back of my hand." Sabin looked at the back of his own
hand and suddenly realized that he didnt know it too well.
"Its just an expression." Brady continued.
"Its a lot harder navigating in this eternal darkness.
Its like Its like the suns up, but
its just out of reach."

That answered one question. Its not
naturally dark in cities. One down,
one-hundred-forty-eight-million to go.

"I hope everyone else is okay." Lufia
said. "Kain and his troop left rather hastily."

"Kain?" asked Brady. "You mean,
Kain Highwind?"

"Yeah." Sabin said. "Youve
met him?"

"Yeah, hes a local trouble-maker
around here. I should have known he was involved with all of
this "

"Hes involved, all right." Said
Edgar. "Hes helping us solve this. In fact, hes
the one who recognized the area that it was happening in, so that
we could get here so fast. If he hadnt, you might have all
been killed without a chance."

"Oh " Brady said, suddenly
feeling as if he had misjudged Kain. A shadow danced in an
alleyway to the left, just barely catching Celes attention.

"Look at that!" Celes said. "Did
you see that!"

"Youre probably just seeing
things." Locke said.

"No, I just saw something in that
alleyway!" Celes said, and the gang moved onward.

"Yip-ho-ho-ho!" said a voice, coming
from the alleyway.

"There, see!" said Celes.

"What is that?" asked Edgar, and a
group of dolls moved forward from the alley. Twenty, to be exact.
Ten red, ten blue.

"Were the CalcoBreena!" said
the dolls. Brady wasnt used to dancing dolls. At least, not
so much as every one else. He quickly pulled out his gun and shot
at the dolls. Good aim, too. He got 8 in the face. The dolls he
hit fell dead to the floor. "Thats not fair!"
said the remaining dolls. "We were supposed to fight!"
They formed into one giant doll as Brady reloaded his gun. Lufia
and Celes used magic, Locke, Sabin, Edgar, and the Cait Sith doll
fought. Brady raised his gun and shot the creature in the head.
Eight times. The creature exploded into a pile of fluff in front
of him.

"Are there things like this all over the
place where youre from?" asked Brady.

"Similar to, yes." Edgar replied.

"Man " Brady started. "Then
you must get bored a lot "

10.

Cecil led his team into the tower
in a quick orderly fashion. He was used to the old days, and
didnt like these new strategies that Edgar was devising.
Cecil liked just heading in, and ending the conflict. But maybe
his day was over, and the newer generation knew more about
battle No, he was the paladin Cecil, and he still knew how
to fight. Hed just do it in his own fashion. Close behind
Cecil were Edge and his sister Tai-Chin, Cyan, Rydia, Maxim, and
Vincent. The group didnt know each other very well, but
that didnt hinder their battle skills. Cecil, Cyan, Edge,
and Maxim were all seasoned fighters, and Rydia, Vincent, and
Tai-Chin werent completely stupid on the subject. Rydia and
Vincent lagged shortly behind the group, to fend off any
attackers from behind. Tai-Chin seemed to be guiding Cecil
through the odd twists and turns. The whole inside of the statue
seemed to be carved out, and an intricate series of hallways lay
inside. Tai-Chin said that the halls resembled the Empire State
Building, which she had toured on a recent trip to New York.

"Wait!" whispered Rydia. "I hear
something over there! In that hallway!" After a moment,
there were nods all around as everyone else heard the muffled
voices down the passage.

"Right!" said Cecil, taking command.
"Rydia, you Maxim and Cyan go explore what it is. The rest
of us will continue ahead. Meet up with us as soon as
possible."

"Okay." Said Rydia. "Come on,
guys. Lets go." Rydia, Maxim, and Cyan went down the
passage, with their hands close to their weapons. The noises got
louder, and Cecil was worried about his great friend Rydia, but
he also trusted her. He went on as he said he would. The path got
more and more narrow, and the group had to form into single file.
Cecil in front followed by Edge and Tai-Chin, with Vincent taking
up the back. Then the passage was almost too small for them to
fit through. Then, suddenly, the passage emptied into a large
courtroom. In the center of the courtroom stood Valvalis, in her
hand a small lizard.

"Godzilla!" Tai-Chin shouted.
"What are you going to do to him?"

"Youll see!" Shouted Valvalis,
and then spun into her tornado form and melted into air, escaping
through the air ducts, leaving Godzilla behind. They all looked
at the small, frightened iguana in the center of the room.
Tai-Chin started to walk toward it, when it started to glow. The
lizard multiplied in size, filling up the entire room. Its
front legs shortened, forcing the creature to stay up on its
hind-legs. Its teeth grew, becoming sharp and pointy. Its eyes
became beady, and the creature started to resemble its namesake.
The terrible lizard looked down at the group of four, as if
deciding which to devour first.

"Umm " Cecil started. "I
think now would be a great time for retreat." Taking the
leaders command, they ran back the way they came, with the lizard
tearing up the wall on the way to them.

11.

Rydia, Maxim, and Cyan moved
toward the noise cautiously. Rydia was a little worried about her
great friend Cecil, but didnt show it. Instead, she let him
go off on his own. As they got closer to the noises, Rydia
started to recognize them. One, she immediately recognized as
Milon, fiend of the Earth. Another, she recognized as Kain.

"Hurry!" She told everyone.
"Kains in trouble!"

Maxim and Cyan ran down the hall quickly, just
a step behind Rydia. They entered a grand courtroom where they
saw Kain facing off toward Milon, who held Butz, Cid, and a not
so happy Mog in a small cage. Surprisingly, Mog seemed to be
swearing more than Cid was. Though Cid was saying his fair share.
He was quite mad, too. Butz seemed much more calm than the other
two. And he even started smiling when he saw Rydia.

"Oh, good grief." Rydia said.
"Kain, you big pansy. BAHAMUT!" The entire group
(including those in the cage) disappeared, only to be replaced by
the large dragon that could only be known of as Bahamut. The
great blue dragon blew its white-hot flames at the Earth
Fiend, and then went away, replaced by those that it had replaced
only moments before. This seemed to scare Milon quite a great
deal, because it caused him to turn into earth, and run away.

"Thanks." Kain said, picking the lock
on the cage that held his teammates with his spear. "Of
course, I could have done it by myself "

"Sure you could, Kain." Rydia said.
"Have you guys found anything?"

"Only this room. There was a trap on the
way in. Cid had stopped to light his cigarette and Butz and Mog
went back to see what was taking him so long, when the trap went
off, suspending all of them in that cage. Shortly there after,
Milon showed up."

"Oh." Rydia replied, sounding a
little disappointed. "Well, Cecil thinks he found the
correct path, and told us to meet up with him after we
investigated those noises. Wanna go help?"

"Sure, why not." Kain answered. The
seven of them headed back the way that Rydia had come, with Rydia
in the back, as before, and Kain at the front. Cid seemed to have
calmed down after he got out of the cage, but Mog still
wasnt happy.

"I cant believe that I was caught in
a cage " Mog complained. "And it was your fault,
fly-boy! If you hadnt stopped to light your cigarette, we
wouldnt have been captured! But, noooo! The
"Captain" needs his nicotine dose!"

"Shut up before I impale ya."
Cid said, very calmly. This shut Mog up for a couple of minutes.
But only a couple. He began ranting again when Kain saw figures
at the end of the hallway. And they were getting bigger very
fast. Shortly, he recognized the figures as Cecil, Edge,
Tai-Chin, and Vincent. Behind them were large, green, scaly feet,
moving fast.

"Turn around!" Cecil screamed.
"Run!" The group started to turn when Rydia stopped
them.

"Ive got a better idea!" Rydia
said. "WARP!" The room turned green, and the group spun
continuously until they appeared in front of the elevator that
had taken them to that floor.

"Want to try a different floor?"
offered Tai-Chin. The group of eleven squeezed into the elevator,
and pressed the button for the 30th floor, which was 8
floors above them. The monster was on the 23rd floor,
and, Rydia mentioned, the 24th, 25th, and
26th. The elevator opened on the thirtieth floor. The
room they had entered into was small, and consisted of, mainly, a
spiral staircase, and a portrait of Zemus. The group walked up
the stairs to arrive on a small altar of sorts. Standing atop was
Kefka. Behind him were four Elementals. And behind the Elementals
were four Sinistrals. This wasnt going to be Rydias
day. Then it donned on her.

"Hey, wait a minute!" Rydia
exclaimed. "Isnt Lufia one of the Sinistrals? I mean,
if shes down below with Edgar, than how could there be four
Sinistrals here?" Just then, the four Sinistrals
disappeared.

"I think you just caught on to something,
Rydia " Cecil started. "If the Sinistrals
werent real, then maybe the rest of these clowns
arent either. Come on, everybody, think of a way that these
guys couldnt possibly exist!"

"Well," Mog said, "I helped kill
Kefka, is that enough?" They all looked toward Kefka to see
if hed disappear. He didnt.

"Wait!" Cyan exclaimed. "Before
Kefka was defeated, his body had morphed, into a sort of
angel-like creature! If he had been revived, he wouldnt
look like that!" Kefka disappeared.

"How come my answer wasnt good
enough, and his was!" Mog shouted! "Mine was good
too!"

"Please, sister! It will help save
millions of lives!" Edge pleaded. By this point everyone was
staring at Tai-Chin, including the Elementals, who were even more
curious than the rest of the gang.

"The " Tai-Chin started.
"The The Elementals couldnt possibly exist,
because they all died! All but one! I know this because I am that
one!" Her body started to glow, and her face changed. She
began to turn caucasian, her hair turning blonde. "I am
Valvalis, fiend of the wind! You could not exist because the
other three Elementals died in the Giant of Bab-il! I am the
last, and no other survives!"

As the groups gasps got bigger and bigger, the
Elementals disappeared. Then, the statue started to crumble.

"Weve got to get out of here,
quick!" Shouted Cecil.

"I can get you out!" said Valvalis,
who, moments before, everyone thought was Tai-Chin. "WIND!
GRANT ME YOUR STENGTH!" And with that, the winds picked up
and took the group outside the Statue of Liberty, which had
mysteriously appeared in Los Angeles only an hour before, and
dropped them off outside, where they all watched the statue
collapse into nothingness.

12.

Edgars group had all but
died from boredom when Rosa, Tifa, Relm, Gilbert, Terra, and
Reeve appeared from behind.

"Edgar!" Tifa shouted. "The
statue is collapsing! We think they defeated the
Elementals!"

"Well, great." Said Sabin. "And
I wanted some action." He turned to Cloud. "Wanna
fight?" Cloud looked at him as if he were stupid (which
probably wouldnt be debated at points), and walked toward
Tifa with Edgar.

"Thats wonderful news, Tifa."
Edgar said.

"Waitaminute, waitaminute "
Officer Brady said. "What statue? In LA?"

"Its a statue of a lady with a
torch." Replied Rosa.

"Oh yeah." Brady said. "We
aint in LA no more."

"Well, stay on guard." Edgar said.
"The problems probably not over yet."

"You mean to say theres even more
people with you?" Brady asked.

"Whos he?" Relm asked.

"Yes, theres many more, and this is
Officer Brady, of the local law enforcement. Hes been
helping us navigate the streets. Now, can one of you trace us
back to where we started?" They all looked around blank.

"I can!" said Reeve. "Or rather,
Cait Sith can. In his program are logs which can show us where
were going. Come on!" They all followed the Cait Sith doll
back to where the Statue of Liberty once stood in the middle of
Los Angeles.

13.

Edgar arrived to see Cecil and
Kains groups blown off of the statue, and carried down, by
the wind only, to the ground. After the wind calmed down,
Valvalis of wind appeared next to them.

"Cecil, look out!" Rosa screamed.

"Dont worry, honey!" Cecil
called back. "Shes with us!"

The group all huddled around Valvalis. Many
eyes were suspicious, with good reason. From under the rubble of
the collapsed statue came a small lizard. Valvalis turned to see
it.

"Godzilla!" Valvalis screamed. The
lizard completely welcomed the sight of the goddess of wind and
walked toward her. She picked it up and held it in her arms.

"Lady, I think you have some explaining to
do." Kain said.

"Yes, youre right." She said.
"When the Giant of Bab-il exploded all those years ago, I
escaped by gathering the wind and running. Rubicant saw me
running, and got mad. He warped me here, the same place he had
warped Tai-Chin. I found her a few months later. She was dead.
She had died shortly after arriving here. She had appeared in the
wilderness, right outside of San Diego. She had died from
malnutrition. Royalty cant be expected to be able to
survive in those conditions. I felt ashamed for what Rubicant
did, and I thought that, by leading her life, I could repent what
I had done before. I absorbed her memories and her personality,
and have been using it ever since. When I changed my body to look
like her, a family from San Diego who were out camping found me.
They asked me if I had a home. I said no, and they took me in as
one of their own. I grew up in the last 7 years, and got a job
and an apartment in Los Angeles. Its really only a
coincidence that I ran into Kain, who had once been my worst
enemy. I saw the emblem of Baron, and almost tried to fight him,
when I remembered who I was, and what I had been for the last
half of a decade. Im really sorry that I didnt speak
up earlier, but I wanted to condolence Edge, because of the
memories I held. Im sorry. Ill return to the life
Ive lived and leave you all alone."

With that, she started to walk away. After a
moment, Edge started after her.

"Wait!" Edge shouted. He caught up to
her after a brief moment. "I dont blame you for what
you did. It was a wonderful thing. Youve made me feel
better about myself, and thats a great thing. Youve
brought me the word that my sister didnt die at the hands
of one of those wretched Elementals. No offense Most
importantly, you brought me a friend when I was at a time of
supreme loneliness. For this, I thank you, and I forgive you for
your behavior."

"Yes." Edgar said. "I think
wed all forgive you. I tell you what; you can help Kain
learn about this dimension. Hell probably stay here for a
while That is, if the local authorities will let
him "

"Yeah, he can stay, I guess." Said
Brady, as Edgar stared at him. Kain suddenly realized
Bradys presence and started to sweat proficiently.

"Good." Edgar continued. "Well
then, will you help him, Valvalis?"

"Yes." Valvalis replied. "I will
help him from here, since I know the most about this dimension.
Thank you all for your forgiveness." Her body then started
to morph, and she became the Tai-Chin that they had all first
met. "But first, Tai-Chins spirit wants to see Eblan
again. May I go there?"

"Yes, of course you can." Edge said.
"Let me take you."

The group then all got together, and left for
Dallas. Los Angeles quickly returned back to normal, and the
Returners had solved yet another problem. Except for the chubby
kid in the business suit that happened to be crawling out from
under the building as they all left. The kid jumped in his UFO,
which he had carefully hidden in LA, and beat them to Dallas, and
as they all arrived at the portal, the kid blocked their way.

"Who are you?" asked Cecil.

"Im Pokey. And Im pretty mad
that you defeated all of my holograms. Now, Im gonna finish
you all off!" Pokey got into position to pull off some
strange martial arts move.

"Kain, apprehend him." Cecil said, as
people walked passed Pokey into the portal. Kain grabbed Pokey by
the collar.

"Hey, what a minute, you cant do
this! Were supposed to fight!" Pokey screamed as Kain
dragged him toward the portal.

"Yeah, yeah." Kain said.
"Ive heard of you, and youre going back to
Saturn Valley police, where you belong."

And all of the evil was defeated, and the world
was safe. For a while.

Epilogue

Edge and his newly rediscovered
sister, who just happened to be Valvalis, lived a fairly happy
life. They got together for holidays, but she preferred to stay
in the odd dimension that Kain was studying most of the time. She
said it was the "real dimension", but whos to say
which dimension is real? Edge visited Rydia more often, and she
always had a room open for him. Of course, she never did pick up
on the idea that Edge thought they would get married one day.

Edgar and Sabin proceeded to get more sleep,
more often. They accomplished this by not letting Locke and Celes
visit as often. They discovered that it was Lockes
obnoxious snoring that had been keeping them up. Sabin also
decided to visit Maxim and Lufia more often. They had a lovely
little house, and Lufia made some cinnamon tea that was to die
for.

Locke and Celes vowed never to stay at Figaro
Castle again. They discovered that it was Sabins obnoxious
snoring that had kept them up.

Reeve was billed a hefty $75 dollars in medical
bills from the Saturn Valley medical board. He couldnt pay
off the money, and worked it off as a nurse in Saturn Valley for
exactly 2 months.

Cid Highwind taught Mog how to smoke. Mog did
not enjoy it, and charged him for a medical bill, which he
couldnt pay, and Cid ended up working it off as a nurse in
Saturn Valley for exactly 2 months.

Cid and Reeve ended up injuring each other
badly as a result of "stealing each others
patients". They were both fired and banished from Saturn
Valley for 1 year.